Plan Your Next Trip to Mexico!
Birthday Vacation Recap
Cheers to your one stop shop, to plan your trip to Mexico! This is our full itinerary so you don’t stress the planning phase. We spent four days in Tulum & three days in Cancun! If you have any questions, submit at the end of the page & we’ll chat!
Fun fact: This year, my Birthday Trip started as a joke with my sister-in-law because I was jealous of all of the Dirty Thirty celebrations… then it turned into a Girls’ Trip with five of my lovely friends!
Enjoy!
xoJR
Tulum
Tuluummm, the destination that seemed to have appeared & thrived overnight during the pandemic! I was shocked to see how SMALL the city was—I’m talking smmaalll! Everything is within 20 minutes of the next. It’s definitely the location you want to visit to relax & take your time through the day.
Our Stay
Click here to view our three bedroom & three bathroom Air BnB in Aldea Zama (lovely upcoming area). The check-in process was the easiest I’ve experienced! The location of the house is in an upcoming neighborhood with quite a bit of construction but considering how much the city is building, I don’t think you can get away from that!
My favorite part was definitely the rooftop pool & workout area. I watched the sunrise every morning, it was breathtaking! Our host, Osman was helpful throughout the process & quick to respond. The 24-hr maintenance crew & guards were welcoming & offered great assistance whenever we asked.
The first night, Chef Vidal blessed us with a lovely five course meal of the Mayan Tasting Menu:
Guacamole (chucky!!) & Snapper Ceviche (amazing)
Cochinita Pibil with Handmade Tortillas
Grouper Mixiotes with Mexican Marinade
Mutton Snapper on Holy Leaf with Achiote Marinade
Mayan Salsa & Lime Cream for dessert
This experience was much more than we expected. We were stuuuffeedd, but everything was so delicious, there was no way we were leaving any food untouched!
Restaurants
If you are a seafood lover, Mexico will satisfy you to the fuuullleessttttt! If a dish includes seafood, it will be loaded! The seafood is beyond fresh, you can seriously taste how clean it is.
La Coqueta- a casual local restaurant with outside seating, it’s the most ideal stop for when you first arrive & want to pop-in somewhere to eat & relax!
My order: shrimp tacos & a classic margarita!
Botanica Garden Café- hidden gem for the locals with outside seating & live music. It’s your typical healthy café for breakfast/lunch but with a great mix of Tulum.
My order: stuffed croissant & a smoothie—the consistency was to perfection
Kay Nah- go here for dinner, enjoy the fireshow & vibes! The kitchen is open to the seating area, which adds to the ambiance.
My order: Grilled Octopus & Sweet Potatoes (Pulpo a la Parrilla con Batata)
Khyra Tulum- go here for a romantic & classical setting! The restaurant is beautifuulll but we were in a party mood & decided to jet. No pictures, sorry! P.S. they have a lovely gigantic mirror!
Mamazzita (FAV)- ideal for any type of vacation, from the setting, people, music, food, performances, atmosphere—just goooo! Their customer service is unmatched! One of the ladies didn’t like her snapper, so the Chef cooked a new entre for her but before it was packaged, Jorge, the Manager, had her try it to ensure she would enjoy. She absolutely loved it!
My order: Octopus & Seabass Enchilada (Enchilada Suiza de Mariscos)
Excursiones de Tulum
Brunch in the Jungle (FAV)- this was a restaurant & experience all in one! The journey to get through the jungle is an experience in itself!!! After brunch, we toured the jungle, saw the P&B’s (Air BnBs), observed the animals (fun fact- pigs don’t sweat) & learned about the plants—one soothed my sore throat within 7 minutes! Quentin was our most welcoming host of the vacation. The atmosphere was almost magical. I definitely plan to return!
Menu:
Cafe de Olla: Mexican coffee, orange peel & cinnamon (tastes similar to a coffee & tea blend)
Fresh Juice: oranges, banana, chaya (Mayan spinach) & sweetened with rosemary infused honey
Fruit Bowl
Open Faced Sandwich: cereal bread, basil hummus, avocado, topped with raw zucchini & carrots marinated in olive oil, cherry tomatoes, radish & vinaigrette sweetened with rosemary infused honey
The Ruins- trust me when I say, avoid the lines by going early! There are many bookings for tours but you can easily enjoy this experience alone/with friends. Just pay the entry fee (150 pesos…I think) & go about your day! I don’t advise going if you have scheduled plans within two hours, the walk isn’t long or tiresome but if you’re like me, the experience of taking it all in makes a difference. Parking—another reason to go early. Park along the entry road or continue down to park on the beach (have your pesos ready).
Beach for the Locals- Sadly, I never considered the locals & what they are losing, as Tulum is growing non-stop. But it’s not growing for them, it’s actually taking away. Can you imagine, having limited to zero access of your homeland’s beach?! The beach is nice but it’s extremely limited with a ton of washed up seaweed.
Tulum Strip- this is where you find all of those Instagrammable moments & the lavish side of the beach. We didn’t spend much time here but definitely check it out! It’s your usual tourist strip with shops, bars, restaurants & hotels but smaller—there’s one way in & one way out.
Cancun
From days spent as a local to the life of a tourist. From getting lost in the jungle, then spending the day in the jungle, to getting pulled over by the Police (their mission to extort us was a major fail) arriving in Cancun was definitely an adventure! Cancun is definitely more of the vibrant city vibe (of course), compared to Tulum. So if you’re looking for an overall relaxing experience, go to Tulum.
Our Stay
We stayed at the all inclusive, adult only TRS Coral Hotel. The check-in process was seamless from the moment we stepped out of our rental. I was so happy to not encounter any out of control Spring Breakers. The resort is much more than what they provide online, they should definitely look into posting more images because, WOW. I felt as if I’d never searched the resort at all lol! The pictures honestly do no justice at all!
TRS Restaurants
We didn’t eat out in Cancun, as the resort was all inclusive. So we enjoyed a few of the restaurants—not many pictures, sorry! I am a sucker for room-service & I can proudly say, TRS has the quickest room service I’ve experienced. We did have an issue with a few incorrect orders but the waiters were quick to resolve any & all issues. The food transition went from authentic Mexican to the usual travel cuisine.
Excursiones de Cancun
We spent a day in the jungle on ATVs, Zipling, swimming in the Cenotes & eating! The cenotes were cooolllddd but totally worth it!! Our Instructor, Carlos led us through the jungle, along the way there was a professional Photographer, an Instructor with the Go Pro & Drone to capture all of our moments—the best part…all footage was only $120 ($30pp, minus the Birthday Girls).
This adventure was at the top of my list!!! Although I didn’t dive all the way to the bottom of the ocean, the experience is definitely in the top three most beautiful moments of my life. The day:
Class lecture with Juan Cardona (1.5 hrs)
Pool class to learn & test equipment (2ish hrs)
Showtime
The oonnllllyyy issue I had, was not being aware of how we were entering the ocean…until it was time. We entered the pool forward, so I expected the same in the ocean. Heck, I thought the back entry was for the movies! I had to pray & remember the Chad was great (only Charlie’s Angels will understand). Although my mind got completely off balance, I’d totally do it again!
We didn’t attend the party but it looked like a nice time, the tickets were paid but we decided to spend our final day lounging at the resort—I can’t tell you enough how beautiful it was!!
That’s a wrap! Now it’s time for you to start booking & plan your next trip to Mexico! If you have any questions or concerns, click the button below & submit!
Disfruta tu viaje en Mexico!
xoJR
